Here Forever
by evilRevan
Summary: Even guardians have worries, secret fears that consume them and leave them in a state of desperation. For Leon, it was waking up one morning to find the one thing he loved above all else, gone just like all the others. FreyxLeon


The first thing she felt as her mind grew clearer was warmth. And without thinking she inched her body towards a spot far warmer than her previous location, a smile gracing her features as she relished in the warmth that proceeded to surround her. And still half asleep the young woman didn't register something wrap around her and pull her closer the warmth, nor did she feel a tickling sensation brush against the back of her neck. She was far too content to bask in the warmth and drift off to sleep again to realize what was going on.

However the residential cluckadoodle continued to crow in the background, growing louder and louder until finally, Frey was forced to open her eyes and face the world.

Her eyes, blurry and watery, caught a glimpse of something brown; cloth perhaps. Frey paid it no mind as she rubbed her big green eyes with her palms, wiping away the water and gunk that blocked her vision before. When she opened her eyes a second time, she realized it wasn't cloth she had been looking at it. It was a familiar tanned face sleeping right beside her just like always. At first her cheeks shifted towards a shade of red dangerous close to crimson, realizing she had slept so close to her _husband. _But the feeling soon subsided as she unconsciously felt Leon's steady heartbeat beat inside his chest. It calmed her frazzled feelings and lulled her into a state of contentment, and safety.

She placed her head against his chest, silently listening to the rhythmic beat echo inside her ears. Frey knew she had to get up and harvest her crops before eight AM, but she couldn't bring herself to escape from the warm bed, let alone leave Leon all by himself.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Frey chuckled, quietly thinking about this situation and how embarrassed Leon would feel if he woke up right now. His cheeks would no doubt be red, like her's had been.

"Having fun?" A voice purred deeply. Frey's face felt warm as blood rushed towards her face, realizing who was speaking to her. It wasn't hard really. Leon was the only one in the room and no one else came into their room this early in the morning unless it was an emergency.

Frey pouted but said nothing, allowing the silence to speak for her instead.

After several seconds of silence, Frey felt something press against the top of her head. She squeaked like a Chipsqueak as she felt his strong arms wrap around her tighter and draw her even closer to him until, her body was pressed against him. She tried to protest, to force him to let her go, but Leon didn't budge.

"Leon, I need to harvest the crops." She whined, squirming uncomfortably in his embrace.

And just like before, he ignored her as his chin sat on top of her's and held onto her as the sun's rays filtered through the castle's window and into their bedroom. It wouldn't be long until everyone would be up and about. No doubt if she fell asleep again they would come and try and find her due to her absence. Vishnal and Amber would no doubt; make a game out of it. Maybe Ellie would make a bet as to _what _she was doing instead of running around, and doing errands around town.

"Le-" She began, but was quickly silenced when Leon held her tighter, signaling for her to be quiet in his own way. Frey couldn't see his face, seeing as had her head against his chest so she couldn't tell what he was thinking from his actions alone. It felt, out of place for some reason. Normally he wasn't so… quiet and _cuddly_.

She opened her mouth to try and ask him what was wrong but promptly shut it. She rationalized if he wasn't saying anything now; he wouldn't answer her even if she prodded him.

So Frey waited in silence for him to tell her what was wrong.

Time ticked away as he continued to stay silent, his chin still on top of her mess of green hair.

Frey grew more and more uneasy in the silence between the two of them. It didn't feel right… it didn't feel _natural._ This time she opened her mouth and asked the question that needed to be asked.

"Um… Leon is something wrong?" Concern laced every word as she waited anxiously for his answer. Though she half expected him to brush it off and say everything was fine, that nothing was _wrong._

A pregnant pause echoed between the two of them before he said anything.

"Bad dream." He replied simply, not elaborating on the subject at all. Frey contemplated if he was serious or not, but judging the situation they were in, it had to be true. After all, Leon would have let go of her by now.

"Nightmare?"

Another pause. "I guess you could say that." Frey could feel him tense up after saying those words to her. The pseudo princess frowned, thinking hard about what would make him this upset. But she couldn't figure out what it would be. Unable to help him, she rubbed his arm in her sorry excuse of a way to calm him down. The action helped soothe his nerves a bit, his muscles relaxing under touch considerably. She could feel his chest expand underneath her head, his lungs filling with air before releasing it the form of a sigh.

Leon let out a pitiful chuckle. "This is silly…." He began, stopping midsentence for whatever reason.

"What is so silly?" Frey couldn't help but ask.

The bed creaked as Leon shift beside her, still not letting go of her from his embrace. "Getting scared." A sigh escaped his lips while Frey kept quiet and listened for anything else he might say.

"This may seem silly…" Leon sounded, for the first time, desperate and utterly broken right now. It didn't sound as if he was crying, or close to it, but it was still unnerving to listen to his worn, beaten voice echo in her ears. It made her want to hug him tight. To wish away whatever he feared was going to happen to him.

"-But even I get scared sometimes. I keep thinking well… that when I wake up tomorrow these happy days with you will simply vanish." The confession hit her like a ton of bricks. _He_ feared something was going to happen, something that would tear apart all their happy memories together. It was justified, she thought. He had been a guardian for decades, if not centuries, and woke up in a strange new world he knew nothing about. Leon had no one besides Ventuswill to call upon as a friend. And while everyone was friendly to the four newcomers, Leon didn't really have anyone to necessarily form a strong bond with. Dylas had Porcoline and Margaret, who considered him like family; Amber had Illuminate to care for her, and Dolce had Nancy and Jones to constantly dote on her like one of their own. Leon ended up in the dark, so to speak. Frey realized.

Sure, he stayed at the Inn with Lin Fa and Xaio Pai, but they were always busy with customers to think of him as family. Let alone strike up a conversation and talk to him. And now that they were together, it was quite possible he felt this happiness was bound to end in the worst possible way. As if she would disappear from his life if he fell asleep, just like all his friends and family.

In the silence Frey wrapped her arms around him, trying her best to comfort him. "I'm not going anywhere, Leon. I'm not going to disappear. I'll stay with you forever." She said without really thinking about what she was saying. In the silence Leon's breathing began to slow down, his grip on her loosening until he was barely even holding her.

"Best remember that promise, Frey."

Frey nodded, smiling as much as she could while trying to keep the tears at bay.

"I won't forget, Leon."


End file.
